679 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06119
Choral Evensong – St. John’s Choir School & Adult Choir
The ancient and beautiful service of Choral Evensong is presented on the fourth Sunday of selected months at St. John’s. Join us on October 23 at 5:00pm for this time of music and worship.
Sung by the St. John’s Choir School & Adult Choir; Scott Lamlein, organist/choirmaster.
This event is free admission, donations welcome in any amount. Checks payable to Music at the Red Door or click here to donate online.
Click below to watch. Click here for service leaflet pdf.
Service Music:
Psalm 84:1-6: Shirley Hill
Responses: L’Estrange
Nunc Dimittis: Stanford in C
Lord, make me an instrument: Niedmann
Organ voluntaries by Rheinberger and Bruhns
The St. John’s Schola is a small ensemble that is drawn from the St. John’s Choir. Varying in size from four to sixteen singers, the Schola specializes in harmonious a capella choral music, both ancient and modern. The St. John’s Choir School is a group of singers that has fun while learning all about music reading, theory, vocal training, and the great sacred choral repertoire, old and new. With worship at the core of their work together, the Choir School prepares anthems and other music twice monthly for the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service at St. John’s Church. St. John’s Choir School is affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music, an international organization of choirs that sing in the English choir school tradition. Alongside professional and amateur adult singers, they learn adult-level choral music and look beyond the words and music to communicate a message. The St. John’s Adult Choir is a semi-professional ensemble of 35 singers. Presenting music at St. John’s weekly services requires learning more than 100 choral works each year, which the choir does with joy and grace. Both choirs sing for Evensong and two major concerts at St. John’s each year, and for a number of special events at other venues. In 2019, the choirs sang in residence at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, and at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Learn more about the St. John’s Choirs at this page.
What is Choral Evensong? “Evensong … is a very tiny fragment of something else: it is a fragment of the worship which is offered to God by Christian people every hour in every part of the world. When you come to Evensong here it is as if you were dropping in on a conversation already in progress — a conversation between God and people which began long before you were born and will go on long after you are dead.”
Why celebrate Evensong? Evensong offers to us the opportunity to gather and spend time in prayer while listening and participating in music that is especially selected to bring us into deeper understanding of the mysteries of our faith.
How long does Choral Evensong last? Approximately 35-45 minutes
What should I expect at Evensong? Hymns, readings, Anglican chant and anthems sung by the choir
Will there be a sermon? No.
Why does the choir sing so much at Choral Evensong? In Choral Evensong the choir sings on “behalf of” the congregation. The settings of the Canticles of Mary (Magnificat) and Simeon (Nunc Dimittis) are always sung by the choir alone. The Suffrages (prayers) and the Responses between the Officiant and People are also sung between the Officiant and Choir on behalf of the people. This allows the congregation time to meditate and enter into deeper prayer through words and music.
What does the congregation do in Evensong? The congregation joins in the singing of the hymns, the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. The congregation joins in silent meditation through the prayers and canticles.
How will I know what I should do during the service? A bulletin outlining the service will be available.
What is a canticle? A canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, song) is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible.